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According to media analysts at Enders, pirated streaming of sports and premium television spends billions of dollars a year on broadcasting stations and sports bodies.
Ender found that based on analysis of private and internet data from broadcasters, he illuminated the “two-digit percentage” of all viewing on Premium Sports and TV, but was unable to place an accurate number on the scale of the issue.
Sky and Dazn is one of the companies warning about the rise in television copyright infringement rates in the UK and Europe, saying executives undermine their ability to buy expensive rights to showcase sports such as Premier League football.
According to Enders, a single pirated stream of famous events, especially live soccer matches, can attract “tens of thousands” of people. We found that this number could increase many times when these streams are shared on social media.
When stolen, the live feed is used globally and outside the covered area of the license to show the game.
The group concluded that “industrial-scale theft of video services, particularly live sports, combats copyright infringement and provides a direct threat to the profitability of broadcasters and streamers.”
The topic of piracy is expected to be a major focus at a meeting held by Enders and Deloitte in London next week, featuring executives from Sky, Warner and other television services.
“Copyright piracy costs billions of content originators, pay television and streaming companies around the world,” said media analyst Claire Enders.
Media Group uses its own “warroom” for live events and uses a combination of techniques to remove live live pirate services. But such efforts have been hampered by the lack of aggressive work by high-tech companies to combat the problems, Ender found.
Sky’s Chief Operating Officer Nick Harm said the report “emphasizes the significant scale and impact of copyright infringement.” He added: “We want to see faster and more participating action from major tech platforms and governments to address the issue and protect the UK’s creative industry.”
Enders said a complete overhaul of the technology architecture license is required. The report “condemns large technology groups for a combination of ambivalence and inertia, crucially engaging with content owners to strengthen security architecture while simultaneously leading consumers to illegal services in other parts of the business.”
This issue is exacerbated by the widespread use of Amazon’s Firestick, an Internet TV device that can connect to a TV with a pirate feed along with legal services such as Netflix, Prime Video, and BBC IPlayer.
According to 2025 data provided by Sky, cited by Enders, 59% of people in the UK said they used pirated feed in the past 12 months using physical devices.
Amazon says it prohibits the sale of illegal streaming devices on apps that violate the market and third party rights.
